Lose Yourself
by Depakote
Summary: Ino accepts a mission to take on the role of a dead Princess and finds herself betrothed to the Kazekage.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything you recognize.

Chapter 1

It hurt. Her muscles screamed in agony. Her knuckles were beyond bleeding. Still, she would not allow herself to stop. The field was littered in training posts. Some were splintered, and some were completely demolished. Ino had been training since sunrise of this morning. She could not get the mental images of her last interrogation out of her head.

At the age of thirteen, Ino started reading people's minds. At first, it wasn't intentional. She started answering questions before they were asked. She heard people's thoughts as if they were speaking to her. The thoughts kept coming. The voices were deafening. She heard them in bed… she heard them through the walls… hundreds of stray thoughts robbing her of any chance at sleep. It wasn't long before she learned how to put up the barriers. Slowly, she learned how keep her own thoughts distinct from the others. With time, she learned how to control their intrusion. It didn't take long for Ino to master the art of mind-reading. After all, it was a gift from her bloodline. At fourteen, Ino had begun her training in interrogation. At sixteen, she was an ANBU interrogator. By 21, she had far exceeded any of her predecessors in her expertise.

Ino has seen her share of blood and gore not only in her own experiences, but in the thousands of minds she's entered. Even with her years, she still never ceased to be shocked by the extent of the actions of mankind. The mind she had read last night was the mind of a psychopath and a serial rapist. She had been hired by Silver Village to track the kidnapper of their princess. Princess Mai was the sole heir to their throne. When she found this bastard, he had been alone. His thoughts told her that the Princess was dead. The things he had done to her that led to her demise… Ino had no words for. The Princess wasn't his first victim. There were hundreds, if not thousands of girls. With each incident, he had vividly remembered every gruesome detail. With each victim, Ino had to live through his mind. Ino had to feel what he felt…taste what he tasted. She was disgusted by the pleasures he felt…. But she had to read him. She had to get the names of the victims. She had to know, so she could bring closure to the families of the many victims.

The village leaders weren't happy to hear of their Princess' death. Of course they weren't, but it wasn't just the grief they had to worry about. The Princess was betrothed to some sort of warlord of an extremely powerful country. The name of the country was never mentioned. Silver Village was an extremely rich village due to their massive silver mines, but they never invested in developing much of a defence system. They've always relied on this one country to protect them. Recently however, Silver Village had received a lot of threats. They needed to secure their alliance with this 'powerful country'. The Princess was to be their hook. This was where Ino's next mission came from.

This was to be Ino's last mission. Surprisingly, the Ino's features bared a striking similarity to Princess Mai's. For that, Ino was to assume the identity of the Princess. She had taken on a similar mission in the past. Apparently, her face was a common one among royalty. That mission, however, had only been temporary. The other princess had gained a lot of weight, and needed Ino to take her place to "charm" her betrothed while she lost the weight. In the end, the deception was unmasked. The Prince even preferred the… chubbier version of the Princess.

For her current mission, Princess Mai's death would remain a secret to the citizens. The village offered a hefty sum to buy Ino. They would have had to in order to convince Konoha to give up one of their ANBU. Of course, the final choice was up to Ino. She would have to leave behind her family and friends. She would have to desert Shikamaru and Chouji after promising her Sensei upon his deathbed that she'd look after them. She did, of course, take the mission. The amount of revenue this mission would generate was beyond helpful to the village. With the money, they would be able to expand the interrogation unit. They would be able to train more Medic Ninjas. The money would do wonders for their research department. She would be sad to leave Shikamaru and Chouji, but they didn't need her anymore. Shikamaru had Temari… even Chouji had found love.

There were personal perks for her as well of course. She would get to be a Princess. What would be better than living your life as royalty?

Ino finally forced herself to stop training. The sun was starting to set. Ino looked down at herself. She was covered in sweat and blood. She'd be sure to pay Sakura a visit before her farewell party tonight. She needed her wounds healed fast. Ino needed to be presentable for the last night she might ever see her friends and family again. Afterall, what kind of lasting impression would she leave of herself if the last image Konoha saw of her was anything other than perfection?

--

Ino didn't go to the village right away. She needed to go through "Princess training" before they allowed her to assume her new role. The training took place in one of the Princesses summer homes. Basically, Ino had to relearn everything. She was force learn how to walk properly. She had to learn how to talk and converse properly. She was even taught how to dress herself. She had to master dinner etiquette, all the favourite pastimes of the Princess, and how she should present herself in different situations. She was even taught how to dress herself… or rather, how to stand there as other people dressed her. Actually, that was one of the things Ino loved most about her new life. Only the finest silk was allowed to tough her skin. Ino only wore the richest colours, the finest prints, and the latest designs. Rarely, did she ever wear an outfit twice. There was not much Ino had to change about her appearance… except for her hair. The Princesses' hair tumbled down her back in waves. Ino was use to tying her hair back, but she guessed that it wouldn't be necessary to keep her hair out of her face if she weren't going to be fighting.

The citizens of the village were never made aware of the kidnapping situation. Everyone thought their beloved princess was away for self-defence training. The story would play to Ino's advantage. She would be able to continue to practise her ninja skills under the pretence that she had accumulated her abilities through this training. All within the supposed three months the Princess was absent.

A party was thrown for the return of the Princess. It was the most straining night of Ino's life. She had studied a brief synopsis about the people the Princess was most acquainted with, but the report was far from complete. With everyone she met at he party, she to constantly be under impression management. While keeping her conversations smooth, Ino zipped through the minds of the people she talked to in order to extract their memories of the Princess. She needed this information to know how to act around what people, and what answers to provide. She needed this information in order to joke around with the Princesses best friends and secret lovers. It was also that night where she first met the man to which she was betrothed to.

Ino had the meeting planned in her mind. She would glide in, work her charms, and her betrothed would instantly fall madly in love with her. It was suppose to be easy. The man hadn't even met the Princess before. His mind would be a blank slate. Ino was lead to a private room in the castle where this man and his travelling companions would be waiting. When Ino and her companions went into the room, she was met with deadly silence. It was as if no one dared to speak. The men in the chairs wore forehead protectors much like the ones they wore in Konoha. Clearly, they were ninja. Ino recognized the symbol on the badges right away. It was the symbol of Sand.

_I'm marrying the leader of Sand Village? Wait, isn't that…_

Ino glanced around that room. Her eyes stopped at the man standing by and looking out the window. His blood red hair was unmistakable.

One of Ino's companions cleared his throat. "May I present to you, the honorary Princess Mai".

The man by the window turned to look at them, thus confirming Ino's suspicion.

_Gaara of the Sand. The Kazekage._

Gaara turned and started emotionlessly at her.

_Does he recognize me?_

His face did not give away sign of recognition. It was possible that Gaara had no idea who she was. It had been years since she'd last laid eyes on the Kazekage. They had never so much had spoken a word of greeting to one another. They had never sparred, so he shouldn't have been able to recognize her Chakra signature. Ino tried to scan his mind, but hit a wall. His thoughts were shielded… as expected of the Kazekage. His features had changed since she'd last seen him. His features were more chiselled, and he was a lot taller. He would be swarmed by fan girls had it not been for his history.

It really was her own fault that she did not pry harder for information. It wouldn't have been hard. She could have just read it off the mind of one of her guides. Although in Ino's experience, people tended to be freaked out by her uncanny ability. Out of respect for the Silver Village's privacy, Ino had only extracted relevant information about the role she was playing. It hadn't crossed her mind that the identity on her fiancé would be important. She wondered if Tsunade had deliberately kept that detail from her.

Ino smiled brightly at the Kazekage. Without any other way to access the situation, Ino decided to just play the part.


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks for the reviews guys. I fixed an error in this chapter. Thanks Gaaraswifey!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything you might recognize.

Chapter 2

Gaara stood at the window of the Silver Village castle awaiting his bride-to-be. The council had decided that he should take a bride in order to improve his image among the citizens of sand. They figured that if the villagers saw that he could get one woman to love him, than maybe they wouldn't think of him as such a monster. It was obvious to Gaara that the council had other motives in mind as well. They were hoping that marriage and the possibility of family life would soften him… and maybe expose some weaknesses. After all he's done for them…. Sacrificing himself… they still didn't completely trust him. To them, he was still a double edged sword.

After Shukaku had been extracted, everyone expected Gaara to grow weaker. Such a consequence was never seen. After battling Naruto, Gaara had decided not to rely on Shukaku's chakra to fight. Unlike Naruto, he never borrowed the chakra of the monster inside of him to increase his attack. Every clash he's won after the Chuunin exams, he did so out of his own strength. After Shukaku was taken, the village expected his to lose his uncanny ability to control the sand. Gaara had not lost this ability. It seemed that developmentally, his mastery of sand had infused into his being. Shukaku had helped him learn to use the sand, and Gaara would not forget. The neuronal pathways were already established in his brain. He didn't even lose his automatic barrier. His chakra instinctively knew how to protect him.

No, Gaara wasn't weakened by the Akatsuki. Gaara could not be physically weakened. It was for this reason that the council tried to instil in him an emotional weakness. It was for this reason that they found him a bride. Knowing all too well that no sane woman in the village would take him for a husband, they went to outside sources. When they found out that Silver Village was in desperate need to strengthen their alliance, the council suggested the arrangement. Gaara didn't care one way or the other. He wasn't exactly looking forward to the arranged marriage, but he wasn't exactly opposed to it either. Other than with Temari and Kankuro, he hadn't exactly made any significant social connections. Naruto had helped him a lot over the past years, but it wasn't exactly like Gaara actually phoned him up to hang out.

There was a girl at one point. The girl who had given him that Teddy Bear he carried around with him. She had been nice to him when no one else was. She played with him on the playground when all the other kids were afraid to. She had only been there a week, and when she left, she gave him the bear and made him promise to return it to her in the future. Ino Yamanaka. That was the name on a drawing she had given him. This had happened before his uncle tried to kill him. For one reason or another, the memory of the girl had been lost to him until one daunting night when his insomnia was particularly callous. At the time, Shukaku was still roaming his mind, so falling asleep would have been disastrous. To distract himself, Gaara explored the storage unit of sand's Kage tower. He came across some of his childhood items. Among those items were his worn-out teddy bear and an old drawing. Ino's drawing.

Ino Yamanaka.

Gaara had remembered that name from the Chuunin Exams. She had fought the pink haired girl from Naruto's team. She had been weak, but it didn't really matter. Gaara had thought about talking to her. He had thought about confronting her about their brief past. Ino and her team had visited Sand a couple of times while Temari's boyfriend visited. She smelt like wildflowers... not that Gaara had intentionally leaned in to take a sniff of her. Shukaku had caused him to develop a hypersensitive nose. It wasn't common knowledge, but he had learned to recognize everyone by their smell. Gaara had wanted to talk to her, but in the end, he didn't. They never spoke a word to each other. What would he have said to her? '_Hi. You were nice to me for a week 10 years ago. Wanna be friends?_'

Gaara had given up on the idea of him and Ino connecting. She had her own life. She had friends and a family that loved her. She wasn't alone. Gaara had almost kicked himself for succumbing to such petty matters. He had to concentrate on protecting his village. He would now have to concentrate his efforts on acting at least civil to this bride-to-be. The Princess of one of sand's allied nations. Imagine his surprise when his betrothed turned out to be none-other than Ino Yamanaka.

The situation was confusing at best. The 'Princess' was definitely Ino. No one else could smell so much like flowers. It was a little insulting that Silver Village decided to offer him a fake. Did the real Princess refuse the arrangement? Did something happen to her? Did the Village not trust Sand enough to risk their royal blood?

The blonde girl smiled at him, seemingly unaware that her cover had already been blown. Gaara was at a dilemma. The right thing to do would have been to expose her right away. It would probably save both villages a lot of grief in the end. The alliance could be worked out in other ways. Ino would be able to end whatever mission she was on, and go home to her friends. This logical argument, however, was quickly shadowed by his strong desire to see where the events would lead.

The 'Princess' spoke. "Welcome to our humble Kingdom, Kazekage-sama".

The only sentence the Kazekage could muster up was "The name is Gaara".


	3. Chapter 3

Author's note: Sorry for not updating faster. I have been infected with a case of massive writer's block. I know where I want the story to progress to, but I can't think of a very elegant way to get there. I appreciate your comments. One of you reviewers suggested adding more dialogue to the story. I'm trying to take that approaches in these upcoming chapters, but I'm finding it to be pretty hard to do without compromising the character's personalities…. But I think I'm pretty happy with the way this came out.

Disclaimer: Again, I own nothing.

Chapter 3

"Gaara-sama then. Pleased to make your acquaintance." Ino wasn't sure if it was appropriate for a Princess to already drop formalities with someone she'd supposedly first met. "All was well on your trip here, I presume?".

The Kazekage just nodded. He stared intently into her eyes. His face remained expressionless. There was no sense of humility from him, but it was different from arrogance. In the years since she's last seen him, he's definitely changed. He's become more confident…. Probably a lot more powerful. His look said he could crush her if needed, but she didn't sense any hostility. Ino was started to feel uneasy under his gaze, but she would never allow herself to display it. She needed to look just as confident. That was her role.

"I trust our staff has been helpful in helping you with accommodations? Have you been given a tour of our home?"

He nodded.

"Lovely. I guess all that's left is to enjoy the evening. You must be exhausted from your travels, but I really do hope you all could join us in our celebrations. I would love for us to get better acquainted before the night is over. I'll leave you to freshen up. If you need anything at all, please don't hesitate to ask. My home, my servants, and I are at your disposal."

With that, Ino turned to leave with her crew. It would have probably been better to stay and "exchange pleasantries" a little longer, but she needed time to process the implications of this new event. There was probably a death sentence for trying to fool the Kazekage, but she couldn't think of better alternatives. If she confessed to him now, the village would probably be destroyed for their choice of actions. She had to keep her mask on.

--

Gaara had no intention of joining the party. He hated having to make small talk with strangers. The conversations were never worth it. They always talked about the weather or something else that was equally insignificant. He knew it wasn't very political of him. He was fine at meetings. He had no problem discussing issues of war or alliances. He could command respect. Parties were a different thing. Parties were for securing mates and making a fool of yourself. Of course, he knew that wasn't completely true. People used parties to meet people… to establish reciprocal alliances… to gain information. Still, he was never able to make much use of those interactions. He just wasn't very good at small talk.

The 'Princess' would be at the party… was that wasn't enough of an incentive to join the festivals. Gaara was slightly disappointed when she started speaking at their "first meeting". The meeting had been short, but already, he couldn't imagine any topic of conversation he could have with her that could be evenly remotely pleasant. She was playing someone else. She was…. Overly… polite. She didn't act like the sarcastic, loud-mouth brat that she was with her friends in Konoha. She didn't act… interesting?

Still he didn't plan on staying in his room the whole time. His traveling companions had gone to the party hours ago…. Not that he enjoyed their company either. He materialized himself onto the highest point on the building rooftop, when he noticed the Ino had beat him to the spot. He was about to leave, when he noticed that she was looking at him. Too late.

--

Ino decided to get away from the party. All maintance she had to do…. Making sure there were contradictions between people's image of the Princess and they way she acted…. Having to constantly be in everyone's head at one…. It was giving her a headache. She didn't want to be disturbed, so she went to the rooftop. She still needed to think about her situation with the Kazekage. He hadn't shown up to the party, so she didn't have another chance to chat with him. She had thought about it, and decided that there was really no reason for the Kazekage to play along if he knew the truth. Why would he waste his time? Why wouldn't he have just crushed the village for their deception and be done with it? Why wouldn't he just have crushed her? Maybe he didn't want to endanger Sand's alliance with Konoha…. No… she wasn't important enough to her village for THAT to even be a consideration.

The exhausted ninja was sitting on the tiles of the rooftop when she noticed someone's presence. She looked to her side and saw a gust of sand conglomerating into a figure. _Great. So much for some alone time._

He seemed to notice her and turn to leave when she said "That's a neat trick there, Gaara-sama".

The Kazekage looked at her and frowned. "Aren't you suppose to be entertaining your guests?"

"Even a Princess needs a break from her audience once in a while." Ino smiled sweetly. It was true. Even people born into royalty must get tired of being in the public's eye once in a while. At least she didn't have to work very hard to come up with an excuse for why she was up here.

The scowl never left his face. "Isn't it dangerous for you to be up here alone, Princess?"

"For a moment of peace, it's a risk I'm willing to take. My home is very secure…. Why don't you join me for a while." Ino indicated to the spot beside her. At least Ino didn't have to keep her mind extended. There was no way Ino could have penetrated his mental shield without making it obvious.

Gaara looked at the spot for a few seconds as if contemplating whether or not he should accept her offer. He then took a seat next to her. Ino went back to looking at the stars.

"You don't get a very good view of the stars here. There's too much light here. It's much better in the desert." Gaara had offered an opinion. Ino tilted her head to the side to smirk at him. He was staring into the night sky. She was pleased that he seemed to be making an effort to be pleasant.

"Do you star-gaze a lot?"

"It's something to do at night. I don't sleep much."

Ino recalled hearing that he had something in him once. A demon of some sort that prevented him from sleeping. If he really didn't recognize her, his odd sleeping patterns probably played a role. Normal people can't go through even 10 sleepless days without succumbing to hallucinations. Even though the Kazekage appeared functional at the time, he couldn't have been overly perceptive. She wasn't good enough years ago to have sensed it's presence when she had last seen him. From what she could tell, the Kazekage was now alone in his bodily vessel.

"I like the sky. I use to spend hours with this friend just staring up at the clouds." Ino mentally slapped herself. She must have been extremely to let a clue about her real past slip out like that. He must have known who Shikamaru was. Shikamaru was dating his sister. Ino just hoped that he didn't know much about her team mate's habits. They sat a few minutes in silence. Then she asked, "what do you think of this arrangement?"

"… It gives my village access to a few more sources of water. There's always a shortage of water in the desert."

"I meant the marriage arrangement."

"… It doesn't matter either way."

Ino was pleased to hear that… although a little saddened for some reason. She was glad that the alliance meant more than just this arrangement. That mean that if the wedding plans didn't work out, he probably wouldn't just abolish the village. She still wasn't too sure how he'd react to the deception however.

"What about you? You must have an opinion on this."

Ino let out a short laugh and looked at Gaara. "Well, all I can say is that no girl ever dreams about an arranged marriage. They're always waiting for a prince on a white horse to sweep in and save her from a fire breathing dragon or something…. Regardless of how tough they may act."

The ends of Gaara's lips turned up into something like a smirk. It was probably the closest thing he had to a smile. "That's a stupid generalization. How many Princes' can there be in this world. That would mean that 99 of the women in this would die disappointed."

"I think the odds are a little lower than that. Anyway, the Prince is just figurative. I think all anyone really wants is to be saved. Not just silly girls." Ino stated this claim in a "matter-of-fact" kinda voice.

"From a dragon?"

"From anything. Mostly from yourself? I think every women, regardless of their age, still dream of having someone come in and fix everything about them. They would have to understand everything about them without needing words. There would be no misunderstandings. Life would be perfect. Their lives would suddenly become ordered. They would suddenly have the motivation to work-out, to clean, and to have the motivation to achieve everything they've ever wanted in the world. There would never be a sad moment. There'd just be a happily ever after. It isn't just women. I'm sure guys are like that too."

It was kind of odd how Ino could converse with him like he was an old friend or something. He never seemed like he was a welcoming kind of guy. Maybe it the mere fact that he was the only thing left in her world that resembled anything in her past…. From her real identity.

"So… basically, there's no way for any one man… any one person to make their mates truly happy?"

"Yea, it's a ridiculous thing to ask for from anyone. I don't think complete happiness can ever be achieved. It's just not a part of human nature. Even if you have the world, there's always more to ask for."

"… You want to be saved from your own nature."

"Doesn't everybody?"

With that, Ino turned back to face the stars. They spend another two hours in silence under the stars. There aren't many moments you can sit in complete silence with someone and be completely comfortable. Maybe it was the exhaustion, but for some reason, Ino didn't mind the silence. She welcomed it.

--

Author's notes: Keep the reviews coming! I don't I would have been motivated enough to continue with this if it wasn't for all of your support.


	4. Chapter 4

Author's note: Wow… it's been a while. Sorry for the wait. I can't seem to get over this huge wall of writer's block. This is seriously the first story I've written in five years. Thanks for all of your support!

Chapter 4

Ino awoke the next morning to a loud… rooster crow? Since when were there any roosters in her community? She started to open her eyes immediately snapped them shut when she was met the blinding sunlight. What happened to her black-out curtains? Slowly, she gained the courage to address the light. Ino laid in bed as the allowed her eyes to adjust to the light. She looked around at her surroundings, and was slightly alarmed at being in an oversized bed with mahogany posts and silk covers. It took her a few minutes to recover from her disorganized awakening and to remember that she wasn't in her own bedroom in Konoha. This was the Princess' bedroom… Her confusion was immediately replaced with nostalgia. Ino had thought about the repercussions of accepting the mission. She knew she may never see her friends and family again. She knew she would wake up everyday to cut fresh flowers for her shop. For the sake of her village, she was prepared to make those sacrifices. Before this moment, she had thought about what she was giving up. She had missed Shikamaru with his smart-ass remarks. She had missed Sakura and her giant forehead. Until this moment the impact of her leaving hadn't really taken its toll. Ino closed her eyes again, and rolled into fetal position.

It was odd, to say the least. Why now, when she had held herself for so many months. Ino thought back and tried to retrace her last conscious moments before falling asleep.

_Wait… how did I get into bed?_

The last thing Ino could remember before falling into a deep slumber was gazing at the stars. Gaara must have brought her up here…

_Gaara? Is that why?_

Is he the reason she had woke up feeling dazed and confused. For one thing, it's weird not waking up in the place you had fallen asleep in. And Gaara… he had been the only thing she's encountered recently that was so obviously a reminder of her old life. She thought back to their conversation, and felt slightly ridiculous. She had gone off on one of her existential ramblings. As if the Kazekage really cared about her views on human nature. He probably only stayed with her out of obligation. The "get to know the bride before you marry her" kind of thing.

Ino began to feel a strong urge to avoid him for the next couple of days… Heck, a lifetime wouldn't hurt…. But that wouldn't be very civil. It's not like he had done anything wrong. Heck, he could have been completely engaged in their conversation for all she knew. The man was impossible to read. She questioned whether she could really get through his mental barriers if she fully tried. It was truly an odd feeling to have to guess how someone thought of her. Since Ino gained the ability to read minds, she had never needed to guess someone's feelings… she never had to worry about how people would gage her actions. She'd never take her ability for granted again.

_Knock Knock_

Ino turned her head to the direction of the double doors of her bedroom. Her attendants were here to dress her for breakfast. It was the same routine everyday, and will continue to be the same routine. She use to love the daily treatments. She loved having people work in her… molding her into perfection. After all, she was living the life of a royal figure. In the past, Ino had always obsessed about her own appearance. Having other people obsess over her appearance was an entirely different experience. The morning routine now only reminded of the freedom she'd given up… The freedom that no holder of a royal name would likely experience. Being a princess really wasn't all it was hyped out to be.

--

_Tick, tock. Tick, tock._

The leader of Sand Village sat at the long breakfast table. He pushed his scrambled eggs around his plate, occasionally ingesting one while one of the Silver Village officials tried to make small talk. The Gaara tried to pay attention, but was distracted by the repetitive ticking of the Grandfather clock.

_BONG BONG BONG BONG BONG BONG BONG_

10:00am. Footsteps. Gaara turned towards the doorway. Ino stood there in an elegant, layered sundress with a handmaid at each side. She bowed slightly and made her way to sit across from him.

"Good morning." Ino offered as a staff member pulled out her chair. She sat. Another servant appeared with her breakfast. She appeared to avert her gaze as she started to eat.

Gaara frowned. He was surprised to be disappointed that she was as talkative as she had been the night before… even though she mostly appeared to be talking to herself. Afterwards, she had fallen asleep under the night sky. He used his sand to carry her back to what was most likely her room.

The Kazekage continued to look at the Princess as he started to open his mouth as if to say something. He wanted to start another conversation, but was thwarted when no topic of interest came to mind. Years of being a tyrant, followed by years of trying to overcome that image had left him deficient when it came to the art of conversation. Frowning at his inability to start a simple conversation, Gaara returned his attention to his eggs, pushing them into a large mound in the center of his plate.

--

After announcing her presence, Ino immediately averted her attention to her breakfast. Sitting in front of the Sand master, Ino felt none of the comfort she was blessed with the night before. After taking a few minutes to compose herself, Ino looked up to find Gaara separating his eggs into finer bits with his fork. _Was he bored?_ Disappointed in herself for letting her own shyness place her on the brink of being rude, Ino decided that she needed to take action. The Kazekage was a guest in her "Kingdom". It was her job to keep him entertained, regardless of how insecure she felt at the moment. _Since when did she ever feel shy or insecure?_

"Gaara-sama?"

Gaara looked up and she was met with clear aquamarine eyes. They reminded her of pools of glacier-fed springs. His face remained expressionless. Ino felt a shiver travel down her spine. She wrote it off as intimidation as she tried to remember the purpose of her speech.

"I…" She looked away in order to recompose her thoughts. A princess should never studder.

"If you do not have plans with your company for the rest of the morning, I'd be honoured if you would join me on an excursion to the royal gardens". If she needed to keep anyone entertained, she should at least be in a good mood herself.

--

"You know, this is probably my favourite area in the kingdom," Ino exclaimed as she spun around and bent down to smell what looked like a yellow, star-shaped flower.

The garden was elaborate to say the least. Petals of all the colours of the rainbow littered the floors, trees, and bushes. Everything looked full of life. A bee landed on Gaara's nose. He crushed it with sand.

"There's too many insects". Gaara looked around expressionlessly as two mating dragonflies flew past him. It was almost noon. There were never this many bugs in the desert… Especially with the sun directly above them. It was simply too hot in the desert for any cold-blooded creature to withstand without seeking out shade. They lacked the mechanisms to maintain any constant body temperature.

"They're attracted to the flowers. Who wouldn't be?" Ino signed as she admired a stick of purple puffs.

"What's so great about flowers? Aren't they just the reproductive organs of plants?"

"That's a very… cold way of putting it." Ino frowned at him.

"It's not incorrect."

"Well, no… You're not incorrect. It's a very simplistic view though. It's like saying a castle is just a place to live. The ocean is just a pool of water. Flowers are… they have so much history and symbolism to them. The ancient Greeks worshipped flowers. Take the red rose for example." She cut a red rose at it's stem and handed it to him. "Did you ever wonder why men give red roses to their lovers every Valentines Day? Why it's the symbol for love".

"…"

"It stems from an ancient myth. According to Greek mythology, red roses come from the goddess Aphrodite. When she found her true love, Adonis, mortally wounded by a wild boar, she ran to him, cutting herself on the thorns of white roses. Her blood stained the white blooms, causing them to become red. From then on, it became known as the symbol for love. If you ask me, I think it's very fitting. Love is beautiful… but if you aren't too careful, you'll prick yourself on it's thorns. There are other famous allusions as well in history. You know the famous nursery rhyme 'Ring around the rosie, a pocket full of posies'? The rhyme actually describes the black plague. The 'ring of roses' refers to the red blotches that accompany the disease… and 'We all fall down'".

"Isn't that a little morbid, Princess?"

"Life is morbid. Deceptive too. Let's go over there". Ino walked over to the tropical plants section. She stopped at an elaborately shaped green flower with streaks of red on top a thin stalk. A black wasp landed on the flower and tried to… What was it doing? "_Calandenia tentaculata_. The green spider orchid. It emits the phermones of female wasps in order to attract male wasps. When the males try to mate with the flower, it picks up the pollen and goes on to fertilize other plants it lands on. Most flowers at least give their pollinators a meal." The wasp swung on the flower, and then flew off.

"Interesting". It really was. He prompted her to continue. "Which would you say would be your favourite?"

"My favourite??? Well… I wouldn't really choose one… there are some flowers I'd really like to see though. All my life, I've wanted to see the bloom of _Cereus greggi_. Also known as Queen of the Night. It's a desert plant. Most of the year, the plant just looks like a dead bush. One night in the summer though… only for one night, it blooms into this beautiful spectacle. It's fragrance is suppose to be unforgettable… but as soon as the first ray of light hits it, the bloom closes for the rest of the year." Ino's face lit up excitedly as she described this plant. Then her smile fell as she looked away. She seemed suddenly overtaken by melancholy.

"Let's head back". Without explanation, Ino picked up her pace and walked ahead back towards the main building.

--

Author's note: True story. Flowers are amazing! I'm trying to develop their relationship, but I'm finding it a little hard. The next chapter should be more eventful.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's note:** Sorry for the lack of updates. I haven't forgotten about this story. I've just been a little preoccupied with school. Anyways, enjoy!

**Author's note #2: **Sorry again. I haven't added anything new to the storyline since yesterday… I just corrected a few errors that were annoying me, as well as added a few sarcastic remarks. You don't have to re-read the chapter to get the rest of the story, but I think I've made some huge improvements. I really should let a chapter sit for a little while before I post it in case I wanna make changes… but I'm just… too excited about getting those reviews. .

It really shows when I'm writing at 3 in the morning though. I'm a little scared to think about what some of the assignments I hand in look like though, since they're every bit as unedited as my first postings…

Chapter 5

It had been a few days since the incident in the garden. The pair had made small talk with each other, but no substantial progress had been made. As the castle became more and more accustomed to the presence of the sand villagers, peace started to settle. Peace never lasted in the eyes of Ino. That is why, on a night like tonight, where the brilliant moon encases protectively over the stony walls, and the crickets chirp to a melodic tone, Ino had been compelled to stay awake and enjoy the moment. Ino stayed out on her balcony watching the reflective shimmer of light off the lake. It had been one of those few times in her life where everyone around her was asleep. There were no drifters wandering in the moonlight. The thoughts surrounding her were mere wisps of unimportance. There was no need to put up any walls. The thoughts of others were far lighter than the deafening tone it usually carried. When she heard the torturous scream of agony, Ino almost fell over.

Ino composed herself. Another scream. A male voice. Ino extended her mind out. No one had awaken. The scream was not auditory. Faint whimpering. Fear. She couldn't ignore it. Ino hopped from her balcony and tried to locate the source. She ran, climbed, and jumped onto another balcony, higher than her own. She looked in through the sliding doors, and noticed a figure in the center of the bed. He was stiff, but his face looked peaceful. Gaara.

Another cry. Anger, fear, betrayal. It radiated from him, and hit her like a rock. His physical body hadn't changed in the slightest. He was only having a nightmare. Albeit, it was a nightmare of a proportion much more intense than anything she'd ever seen. Ino had heard that the Kazekage never slept…. That the monster that was once inside of him had robbed him of that ability. He was only human though. He must have his lapses. This was one of them.

Ino had learned a few things about dreams during her early training in Konoha. Her father made her read some psychology textbooks in order to help her "understand" the mind better. The function of "dreams" had been debated for thousands of years, but Freud had popularized the idea of dreams being the road to the unconscious mind. Sigmund Freud… the sexist crack addict who thought that all boys were attracted to their mothers and that all girls were in love with their fathers… the man who thought that the ultimate desire of life was death… Maybe he was right about dreams….

_And maybe the soul really did reside in the pineal gland. Ah, wonderful Descartes_. Psychology really was full of wonderful contradictions. He was right about the mind-body dualism though… even if others didn't agree. After all, she is able to leave her body and enter others. _Where DID her soul reside then?_

Another shockwave. If this was what it was like on the outside, Ino didn't dare picture what was going on in his mind. _No time for a philosophical debate with myself about dreams and consciousness now… _She was afraid to approach, but she couldn't let him remain in his present state. She slowly gained the courage, and made her way to the side of his bed. She sat on the edge, and brushed some hair from his face. Ino let her hand rest on his cheek, and closed her eyes. When she opened them again, she was in the abyss. There was nothing. No light, no ground, no escape. A spotlight came on in front of her. There was a swing, and a little red headed boy crying on it. Red eyes appeared from the darkness. A thunderous growl. The boy shook.

"Gaara?" Ino approached the boy cautiously. He didn't acknowledge her. Another growl. This time deeper and louder. The boy hid his face in his hands. Ino searched his mind for a source of comfort. Something that made him feel safe. Nothing. No memories of his mother holding his hand. He was all alone. There had never been any basis for comfort for Gaara. No hot chocolate by the fireplace. Just blood and more of the nothingness. She had to do something_… What would Freud have to say about the unconsciousness mind of Gaara? _

"Gaara…" Ino was right in front of the boy now. She reached out to him. Sand flew in, knocking her hand away. The boy flinched. He finally noticed her. She scrambled to think of some words of comfort. Something to say to make him feel better. "Gaara, Shukaku isn't here anymore."

The boy looked up at her and she saw her own reflection in his eyes. It was the five year old version of herself… pigtails and everything. At that moment, she remembered him. Ino had spent some time in Sand Village when she was very young. Her father had a mission there, and their family had stationed there for a few months. There was this little boy she had befriended with the saddest eyes. She had later helped Sakura when she was being picked on because she reminded her of him… the little boy from sand village. _Interesting… my very own repressed memory. Freud would say I just had a break-through!_

"He's here. I can hear him," the little boy spoke, barely audible.

Ino knew for a fact that the real monster had been removed years ago. This current monster was just a figment of Gaara's imagination. She could work with that.

"That's not Shukaku. It's…" _What was it?_ "… a different raccoon… and he sounds hurt. Don't you wanna go help him?" _Very original, Ino. Turning a monster into a cute and fuzzy thing. Sounds like the next Disney classic. At least it would get him to face his fears._

The boy got up from the swings and backed away from her. He shook his head… eyes wide with fear.

"Gaara, you can't go on being afraid. You don't have to face him alone. I'll go with you."

The boy looked at her hesitantly. The growl again. He backed away. Ino held her hand out and gave him a reassuring smile. Little Gaara swallowed, took a deep breath, and slowly made his way toward her. He took her hand.

"Promise you won't leave me alone?"

"I promise."

Hand in hand, they started to walk towards the glowing red eyes. As far as Ino could tell, the red eyes and the growl were the only characteristics Gaara had created for this version of the monster. This worked in her favour. It wasn't the first time Ino had manipulated a dream. Using one of the techniques Ino spent years perfecting, she created a new scene in Gaara's dream. As they approached the eyes, Ino formed a couple of trees…. And then a forest. She made the sun shine brightly through the canopy. She made the growl less intense, and more defensive sounding. Finally, she produced the racoon hunched over, under a tree. Ino looked around, and smiled at her work of art. _I guess this is a point for the creationist argument. If I could have created all this using only my mind, think of what God could have done. Interesting thought…. Scary thought… What if the world was something placed into her mind by this "God"… What if it wasn't God, but some… evil genius… or robots? So back to Descartes now, are we…? Or… the Matrix? It really was one of her favourite movies._

"Look! It's the raccoon." Ino made the raccoon hiss in her newly created scene. Never letting go of her hand, Gaara approached the raccoon. "There's a thorn stuck in his foot." _Yes. I really should win the Nobel Prize for creativity… Nobel Prize? Did they even have a category for creativity? _It was really the only prestigious award Ino could think of. _The Pulitzer Prize? That's at least related to literature. Is that only for editorials?_

Cautiously, Gaara knelt beside the raccoon. It hissed defensively again, but was in too much pain to attack. Ino bent to hold the animal down.

"I'll hold him still. Why don't you try to pull the thorn out."

Gaara did as instructed. When the thorn was out, Ino released the raccoon. It licked little Gaara on the cheek, and the scurried away. Gaara let out a small giggle. It was weird to hear him laugh… even as a small child. Some might even call it creepy.

"See? There's nothing to be afraid of." Ino gave the little boy a hug.

Sensing that Gaara had significantly calmed down, she closed her eyes and started to make her way out of Gaara's dream. _A job well done. The road to his unconscious mind huh? Hopefully, his newly acquired peace will transfer elsewhere. Maybe she really did deserve the Nobel Peace Prize… for peace… not creativity. _When she opened her eyes again, she found herself once again sitting on the side of the Kazekage's bed. Before deciding to leave, she took one glance at Gaara's sleeping face to make sure she was no longer needed. Rather than encountering a sleeping Gaara, Ino found that… he wasn't asleep at all. In fact, he was quite awake, and looking right her.

--

**Author's note:** Sorry to end it there, folks. I hate cliff-hangers too… but it was just too good to resist. Anyway, it's Christmas break for me, so you probably won't have to wait long for the next update.

Thanks again for the reviews. They make my day.

Oh, and let me know if you guys catch any grammatical or spelling errors. They annoy me too.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's note: **See? I told you I'd get this out in record time. I've also changed the rating for now, since I'm not sure how much "Adult" content I'll be putting in.

Disclaimer: You know the drill.

Chapter 6

Gaara awoke dazed and confused. He had been sleeping… a rare occasion. It was even rarer that he should find himself waking peacefully instead of panicked and drenched in sweat. He hated sleeping, but it was always the one thing his body yearned for the most. He shifted his eyes down and found Ino collapsed on the side of his bed.

_See? There's nothing to be afraid of…_

His dream… It was pretty obvious as to what had happened. She entered his dreams… but why had she done that? Did she sense his torment? Only a moment after Gaara regained consciousness, Ino shifted. She was slowly coming to. The "princess" lifted her head tiredly and took in the moonlight darkness. She looked satisfied. She then turned her head toward Gaara and gasped a little. She froze, like a deer caught in the headlights.

"Ino…," Gaara whispered without thinking. Her eyes widened a little.

_Crap. I just blew her cover._ It always took him a few minutes after waking up to get his head straight. It was especially bad for Gaara, since sleep was such an atypical event for him. _Maybe I should learn how to sleep half of my brain at a time, like the dolphins._

Ino laughed. It was a nice laugh, musical, and unhindered. It looked like she wasn't afraid… or shocked anymore. Was she reading his mind?

"I don't think that works so well for terrestrial animals. Your body is paralyzed during REM sleep. It might be very fun being half paralyzed." Ino suggested as an image of a dolphin swimming in circles was presented to him in his head. This illustration was then replaced with a picture of him walking in circles with half of him body limp, like a Zombie. _She's projecting her thoughts to me._

"Sorry. I didn't mean to eavesdrop." Gaara felt her physically pull her mind away. He sat up and smiled.

"That's okay. I spent most of my life with someone listening in on my thoughts." Shukaku wasn't nearly as entertaining.

She smiled again and looked down. "So… you know who I am then… I didn't think you'd even remember me"

How could not? Did she really think he had forgotten her? It wasn't a surprising concept, considering his behaviour up to and including the Chuunin exams. Plus, the fact that they barely said a word to each other during his stays in Konoha afterward probably didn't help his case. "Princess Ino of Konoha… Distributor of plant reproductive organs… You don't make yourself easy to forget."

Ino laughed again. He decided he loved her laugh. She looked up at him again, apologetically. "Sorry for trying to deceive you... You knew from the beginning?"

He nodded.

"Why didn't you say anything to anyone?"

"It didn't matter. The marriage was important for the alliance. I didn't really care if it was you or the real Princess Mai. If she wasn't here, then there must have been a good reason."

"There is. She's dead."

"Oh… " _That would explain things. Princess Mai didn't have any sisters or cousins of whom the village could have offered in her place. They were desperate. _Gaara looked at the floor. _Still. It wasn't fair to force the Yamanaka girl into a loveless marriage._ It was selfish of him to let her continue her act after he first saw her upon his arrival. He just wanted to where things would lead. Gaara remembered what Ino had said about waiting for her "Prince" to arrive on his white horse. He thought about how she had abruptly ended their conversation in the gardens. She had gotten homesick talking about flowers. Although his childhood friend would have made his existence much more amusing, he didn't think it fair to keep her from what she truly wanted in life.

"You know, you don't have to go through with this," Gaara started. She looked confused. "The marriage, I mean. It obviously doesn't matter to me. They'd find another victim to be my bride. I can tell you've been homesick… and you've been waiting for your prince…" He still wasn't making much sense, but Ino seemed to be able to decipher meaning from his ramblings. "You could tell them I found out and…"

"… fail my mission? You have no idea how much they paid Konoha for me".

The mission had failed the moment she was selected. He had simply recognized her because it was her. There was nothing she could have done to fool him into thinking she was anyone else. He knew her by scent. "Under these circumstances, I'm sure they'd understand. Plus, your life shouldn't be for sale."

"Well… they were going to make me royalty. I could hardly argue." Ino gave what seemed like her best impression of an evil smirk. Adorable.

After all that has happened, she was still able to maintain a sense of humour. And as expected, she was willing to do anything, even sacrifice any possibility of her own happiness for her village. _How admirable. _"So are you saying you want to continue with the Charade?" Gaara asked, already knowing the answer.

"If it doesn't matter to you, than I'm all for Charades."

"We… can pretend like this night never happened then." In a way, Gaara was relieved. He dreaded the idea of returning to a life without Ino's blunt sarcasm and witty remarks. He didn't feel as alone with her around.

"Thank you." She thanked him as if he was the one doing her the favour. With that, Ino turned and walked to the balcony.

"Ino?" She turned to look at him. "Thank you for saving me from my own nature," Gaara quoted himself from the night on the roof. He wasn't clairvoyant, but had a feeling he wouldn't have trouble sleeping anymore. It was a miracle the change that could take place in one night. Maybe she was an angel… or a witch. Ino smiled… and then she was gone.

--

Ino was still shaking when she returned to her room. She was certain she was going to die when she found Gaara awake. After all, she had tried to deceive him. She invaded his space, and invaded his mind. He must have woken up just as she was leaving his mind. It had taken her a few minutes to untangle her thoughts from Gaara's.

Ino was so relieved when she found that Gaara wasn't angry. His face was unreadable as ever, but for a few minutes, his walls were down. She could freely hear his thoughts, and… he seemed quite amused. He had said that he didn't mind the attempted deception… and he had remembered her! For some unknown reason, that had made her deliriously happy. She had no idea how she didn't recognize him as her childhood friend, but he had recognized her, and that was… wonderful! It'll certainly make the rest of her mission go a lot smoother. She no longer had to fear for her life… she was no longer in risk of being discovered as a fraud. Everyone else, she could read. Gaara had been the trump card, but now, she was safe.

--

**Author's note: **I know you all expected something steamy. Afterall, they were alone in Gaara's room in the middle of the night! Give it time! A great love story needs time to flourish.


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's note: **Thanks again for the reviews. I love you guys to bits! Seriously, do any of you other writers check like… every hour for new reviews after you post new chapters? I think I'm a little obsessed.

Chapter 7

For the next couple of weeks, Gaara and Ino had… well… bonded would have been the best description. The villages insisted that they spent as much time together as humanly possible. They went on picnics, hikes, movies, plays. When they were certain that they were alone, they even sparred a little. Ino, of course, was no match for the Kazekage, even though she had gotten past his sand barrier a few times. In the midst of it all, they shared a secret that had gotten them closer. During boring meetings, Ino would telepathically project sarcastic remarks to Gaara, or create obscure imitations of some stuffy speaker or representative. She would then make fun of his attempts to keep a straight face… which he did well, of course. No one suspected he was laughing inside. No one suspected he could laugh…

The weeks flew by, and before they knew it, the royal wedding had arrived. Temari and Kankaro had showed up to Silver Village. They didn't seem to suspect her true identity. She guessed her change in hair and make-up, as well as her outward personality was enough to erase Ino Yamanaka from anyone who didn't have a freakish sense of smell. Ino would probably fill them in later… sometime after she had settled in as Gaara's wife… assuming that Gaara didn't do that himself. She imagined Temari's distaste at learning the truth. Kankaro… well, Kankaro probably wouldn't care. For some reason, Ino really wanted to make a good impression on Gaara's family. She wanted them to like her.

Now, here Ino was, standing at the alter, about to walk down the aisle. All eyes were on her. All eyes were scrutinizing her perfectly made-up hair, and her exquisitely tailored white gown. Many girls were envying the extravagance of her wedding, no doubt ready to pounce on and exploit any flaw they might find. Some of the older couples pitied her for having to go through with an arranged marriage and to have to leave the home she grew up in. All these hundreds, if not thousands of thoughts swirled around Ino, and she barely paid them attention. Normally, being in a room with this many people would drain much of her focus. Today, Ino could only concentrate on her own nervousness.

Logically, there was no reason for her to feel that way. It wasn't as if Gaara might back out. Ino no longer feared exposure. She didn't need to worry about what the villagers feared. She could easily find that out. What reason did she have for feeling nervous? It wasn't just nerves either. Ino found that she felt quite… exhilarated. Beyond all logic, Ino was blissfully happy. The day would seal her fate. Ino Yamanaka would officially disappear from all but herself and Gaara… and for some odd reason, she was okay with that. She was happy, and hopeful… really, there were no words that would do justice for what she was feeling… or was it just her limited vocabulary? If she studied the dictionary from front to back, would she find a word to describe 'so happy, you could die the next moment and your day would not be ruined'?

Ino looked down the aisle to see Gaara waiting for her. The wedding was very reminiscent of a Western wedding… a trait no doubt adopted from Silver Village's trading relationships with the West. Gaara was dressed in what was probably formal attire from the Sand Village. His face was stoic, as usual. His mind was especially unreadable… as if he were making active attempts to block her. Was he hiding his own nervousness? Was he hiding his distaste? Was he happy? Was he sad? Was he hopeful? Was he anxious? It killed Ino not to know. She wished his expression would give something away. She could ask him of course… send him a telepathic message… but she could not strike up the confidence to.

Music started to play. Ino walked down the aisle, as they had rehearsed. She lowered her eyes shyly, as she had practised in front of the mirror. Time seemed to fly by as she mechanically regurgitated her vows. She barely processed Gaara's own words. Just as they leaned in for their first kiss to make the arrangement official, the door at the end of the isle flew open.

A voice called out. "Stop. This wedding cannot take place."

Ino turned toward the voice in surprise. Her world had crashed at that moment. Her shiny bubble of irrational bliss popped. A reflection of herself stood at the end of the aisle. The Ino-look-alike stood proudly… her voice commanding. She spoke again.

"That girl is not the real Princess Mai. I am."

Ino could not think of anything to say in response.

**--**

**Author's note: **It's a short chapter, I know. It just seemed like a logical break. What do you guys think? I hope to have the next chapter up by the end of the weekend. I don't wanna keep you guys hanging here for too long.


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's note: **So what I'm getting is… it is kinda normal to obsess over responses? Thank you to those who answered my question…. And thank you to everyone who wrote me a review. It's definitely a great motivation to keep writing, and to get those chapters out faster.

Chapter 8

The wedding was called off, of course. Gaara would not be marrying Princess Mai… real or fake. Although the motive behind the deception was understandable, it could not be forgiven… at least in context of politics.

Gaara was not sure of what to think of the new developments. Over the weeks, since he exposed her identity, he had selfishly grown accustomed to having Ino around. He had started to take for granted how openly she expressed herself to him. He expected that, for the rest of his mortal life, he would have that. Her smiles had started to penetrate his stony exterior to rid him of his lonely existence. He hadn't even realized her significance until fate had decided to taken her away… once again.

There had been a lot of confusion with the arrival of the new girl. The sand representatives were angry. The citizens of Silver Village were confused. The ceremony was interrupted, and an emergency meeting between the two villages was called. Once they were out of the public's eye, Ino, still dressed glamorously in her wedding attire, had humbly bowed down and openly welcomed Princess Mai home, after searching her mind. Ino then calmly explained the situation. Silver village had hired Konoha to track the Kidnapper of Princess Mai. She explained how she saw the Princess being murdered in the mind of this psychopath. Princess Mai confirmed that the kidnapper had left her dead. Somehow, she survived. She was apparently picked up by a group of travellers, who had nursed her back to health. When she learned that the "Princess" of Silver village was to be married to the Kazekage, she had rushed back to prevent the sham from occurring.

Sand was sympathetic. They expressed compassion for what the Princess had faced, but they could not allow a union to occur. The alliance would be worked out by some other means.

What would have been the wedding reception had turned into a homecoming celebration for the Princess. Ino had appeared at the party with her hair straightened and put up in her familiar ponytail. Gaara watched as Ino laughed and entertained the guests with stories about her "Princess in training" days. If she were at all disappointed by the turn of events, it didn't show in her smile.

After the party, Gaara stood outside of the guest room that Ino was moved into. He debated whether or not he should he should knock on the door. For some reason, he thought of the scene in the Phantom of the Opera where the phantom came from behind Christine's dressing mirror to steal her away into his dungeon. Gaara and Ino had watched the play together a few nights earlier.

_"Poor phantom. All he wanted was to be with the woman he loved", Ino adamantly expressed as they were leaving the theatre._

_"Poor phantom? He kidnapped her. He tried make her abandon everything she knew. That isn't love. It's obsession." These types of debates were becoming commonplace between Ino and Gaara._

_"What's the difference? The way people feel about their lovers… The way their every thought is consumed by them… You wouldn't call Romeo and Juliet obsessed."_

_"Maybe you would. And what if the attention was from someone you didn't desire it from? Would you call the actions of a stalker acts of love? Is there no distinction?"_

_"So… are you suggesting that if your affections are returned, then it's love. Otherwise, it's obsession." Ino raised an eyebrow at him._

_"Sounds like a fair distinction"._

Gaara wondered what Ino would think if he just took her out of her room. They could leave from their balcony… leave the village in secret… leave the scrutinizing eyes of the public… leave his endless obligations… lead new lives…

It was a ridiculous idea of course. He was the Kazekage… he could never just leave. Maybe he could demand her hand in marriage. Silver village had supposedly deceived him into thinking he would have her… it wasn't as if anyone other than Ino herself knew that he had been informed about Ino's true identity well before the wedding. He could insist that he was entitled to her…

But what would she think of him then?

Gaara shook his head and knocked on the door.

"Come in," said a muffled voice from behind the door.

Gaara turned the knob and entered the guest room. Ino was dressed in a silk sleeping gown. She sat at the antique dressing table, and was currently running a brush through her hair.

Ino smiled at him. "Kazekage-sama."

_That again…_

"You can still call me Gaara."

She nodded.

"Quite the turn of events, huh?" Ino turned to face the mirror. Slowly, she asked "will you be marrying the real Princess Mai now?"

It was a valid question. "No. There will be no wedding."

"Oh?" She sounded surprised. "Is the alliance in danger?"

"No… the but the circumstances won't allow for a marital union."

"I see…"

A pause. The silence was a bit awkward.

"So… um…" Gaara was at a bit of a loss for words. "What… What will you be doing now?"

Ino looked at him again. Her eyes were the colour of twilight. Gaara had always paid much attention to people's eyes. They were the windows to one's soul. They displayed their emotions… their thoughts, their desires. Mostly, he just saw fear. There was no fear in her eyes… just… sadness? "I'll be leaving for Konoha tomorrow."

"So soon?"

"Yeah. They figure it will be less confusing for everyone if I left. I just hope they don't ask for a refund." Another smile, and a disheartened giggle. "Will you be returning to Sand?"

"In a week or so."

Another awkward pause.

"So… I just wanted to see how you were doing. You seem fine, I guess… have a good night… and a safe trip home tomorrow. I don't think I'll be able to see you off. More emergency meetings, and such."

She nodded, knowingly. "I understand… Take care of yourself…"

Gaara and turned away to leave.

"Thank you," Ino offered… it was barely a whisper.

Gaara nodded and left the room, unsure of when he would ever see her again.

**Author's note: **School's about to pick up, so it'll probably be a few weeks before I get the next chapter out. I'll try my hardest to get something out soon! Thanks again for those reviews!


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

It was an event worth celebrating. At long last, Ino was home. For months, she craved to see the faces of her friends and family. For months, she wondered what they were doing in her absence… she wondered what colour lipstick Sakura was wearing, what her mother was cooking that night… all the trivial little things that bore no significance.

Now that Ino was home, she should have been ecstatic. It wasn't as if she had been away for very long. She had been away on even longer missions than the eight months she was gone. It was the idea that she would never see her village again that made her extremely homesick. Eight months later, she was situated back where she was before she left. It was like nothing had changed. Naruto was still as loud and annoying as ever. Hinata was still just a meek. The only difference was that Sasuke had returned.

Sasuke… her childhood crush. Ino had thought that the world would collapse when he left. Was that an unnecessarily dramatic statement? Sure! She was also an unnecessarily dramatic teenager. Sasuke… she had always managed to make a fool out of herself when he was around. In front of Sakura and others, she would act possessive, and… well frankly, a little skanky when he was around.

During their few moments alone together, she would feel awkward and not be herself. Since he left, Ino had developed her character, and filled out her personality a little. Even now, with her frontal lobes fully developed and her teenage hormones in check, the few times she had run into him since her own return had been awkward.

_Old habits die hard, I guess._

Sasuke was back… No matter how many times she repeated it in her head, it seemed surreal. Sasuke, who had deserted his friend to pursuit his murderous brother… Sasuke, who had allied himself with the man who killed the Third in pursuit of power…. Sasuke, who had formed a wedge between her and Sakura. Sasuke, who she had cussed out as the worst scum on earth… was back. Sasuke, whom she had once stayed up thinking about.

Ino didn't know what to do with him. Everyone else seemed to accept him back with open arms. There didn't seem to be any repercussions for his actions. If it had been a novel or a movie, the only right ending would have been Sasuke's death, perhaps after he accomplished the task of hunting down his own brother. Instead, Itachi was reportedly killed in a freak accident, and Sasuke was back and insultingly healthy. If the village were in its right mind, it would cast him out. More than anything, Ino just wanted to ignore him. The few times she ran into him, she had been polite… treating him as though they were barely acquaintances. His stupid scowl didn't make it any hard to do.

So, when she passed him on the bridge, she was surprised when he called her name.

"Ino…"

Even after all this time, Sasuke's voice still made her heart skip a beat. Ino turned around and flashed him a stupid smile with fake enthusiasm.

"Hi Sasuke!" The pitch of her voice was a touch too high for her liking. _Stupid Ino… _Her voice never got distorted when she talked to Gaara. _Gaara_…_ I wonder what he's up to now…_

Sasuke looked at her with his slanted eyes and a grin that would have made her melt just a few years ago. Now, she was torn between… well, melting and tearing it off his face.

"I heard you got to play Princess for a while. It seems almost… fitting…", Sasuke purred. Can guys purr?

"I… umm…. Yes." Ino blushed profusely. _Stupid, stupid, stupid. Where were the witty comments that came so easily when talking to anyone else?_

"How did you find it?"

"It was… great!" That stupid high pitch voice again. _Better think of something to add to that._ "The village was… ummm…. great… and the people… the people were just…. Great…" _Shit._

"Sounds great." Sasuke smirked again. _Damn Sasuke…._

"It was…. Great… Umm…. I'm gonna go to the forest now to uh… to train." _Fuck. I'm starting to sound like Hinata. _ Ino flashed another dumb smile before turning around to continue her path. For every moment she spent with Sasuke, she missed Gaara more and more. Even though she had to play a role most of the time, she still felt like herself. Gaara had been extremely easy to talk to. With Sasuke, she was a mess.

"Have fun"

_Oh, I'll have fun…_ That last thought didn't even make any sense. Ino felt like breaking into a jog, but she could still feel Sasuke's eyes burning into the back of her head. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction.

_Oh Gaara…_

--

Author's note: Been a while, huh? Sorry it's so short. I just felt like writing… but didn't have enough time to write lots…. So… To be continued!


	10. Chapter 10

Author's note: Thank you all for your patience… and your impatience. ) I appreciate all those reviews. You inspire me to keep writing.

Chapter 10

Sitting alone under the shade of a tall tree on the outskirts of Konoha, Ino was depressed. It had been six months since she returned to Konoha… six months since she'd last seen Gaara. It was a bit of a mystery as to why she was still hung up over him… Why he was the last thought on her mind before she went to sleep every night… Why every time she learned something interesting, she would long to share it with the Kazekage. He was a good friend and even though they were engaged to be married, they had never acted romantically toward each other.

A shadow of a figure crept up from behind her and said the last thing that Ino expected to hear from anyone.

"Marry me".

Ino turned her head to stare incredulously at the man beside her in shock. Was she dreaming? Was this one of those dreams where you knew you were dreaming, and therefore could control everything around you? What were they called…. Lucid dreams?

_Does this mean I could make myself fly? _She tried… _Nope._

Seconds past, but they felt like minutes. Ino realized she had been asked a questions and that he was still standing there… waiting for an answer.

"Ummm…. I'm sorry?" Ino smiled politely, tilting her head slightly to the right to show her confusion. _That couldn't have been what he said._

"Marry me".

"…"

"Sasuke, I barely…. We barely… what?" The question was so ridiculous… so utterly random and out of place, she didn't know how to address it.

"I want you to be my wife", Sasuke replied with the same type of smugness he always addressed her with… like he was showing off a fighting technique or something.

"But… What? Why?" As usual, Ino was finding it hard to compile a coherent sentence when speaking to him.

Sasuke looked at her… a little more seriously this time. He took a seat beside her and stared ahead at nothing. "I need to rebuild my clan." His voice was softer.

"Okay…" What he wanted to do was understandable. Sasuke's family had been killed off when he was young and just began training to be a ninja. Since then, he had devoted himself to getting stronger… strong enough to kill his brother who had murdered the Uchiha family. Now that that goal was gone… Sasuke's life mission just… was taken away. What else would he have to live for except rebuild what was taken away. His goals made sense. Why he would want her to be part of it was completely out of the blue. He had never given any indication that he liked her… even as a friend. He always acted as though he were above her and that she was just an annoyance. "Alright… but… why me?"

"You're perfect." The mocking grin came back as if it never left.

Ino blushed angrily. _Right… Perfect? Is he purposely mocking me? _Ino had always been a little obsessive compulsive about everything. Every strand of hair had to be in place… she spent hours a day training to keep her body toned to perfection… her room had to be neat… but as hard as she tried, she was far from perfect. She knew that better than anyone else. Her thighs would always be just a little to big… her nose just a little too pointy.

"Just think about how powerful our descendents will be. It doesn't take much to see that your mind-controlling jutsu and my sharingan would complement each other perfectly." Sasuke's face remained passive throughout the whole speech, giving away nothing about the state of his emotions.

It would be an interesting combination. The techniques… the ability to mind read along with the ability to read and copy any jutsu… the combination would be incredible.

Ino sighed. Of course. "She" wasn't perfect. "She" didn't even factor into the equation. It was her family bloodline he wanted. It was sexual selection in its purest form. The one factor that solved Darwin's paradoxical peacock's tail problem... If natural selection was the only thing at play in determining species, how was it that the peacock in all its gaudy-too obvious to be hidden from predators-fan-tailed glory could have evolved? The answer, of course, was sexual selection. The females chose to mate the males with the biggest, shiniest feathery blumes because it was an indicator of health. If males could escape unscathed, even though they were so obvious to predators, they must be in great shape. Even though less excessively showy males might have an advantage in escaping from their predators, they weren't able to reproduce because the females didn't want them, and thus… were unable to pass on their un-showy genes.

"And, of course, you are very beautiful," Sasuke continued.

Ino frowned. Of course he would find THAT aspect important. It was classic evolutionary psychology. Men chose women for their beauty… another indicator of health and good genes. Of course, women weren't any better. They all wanted rich, powerful men… Men with a lot of resources who could provide for and ensure the survival of their children. Everyone alive today are descendents of people with that kind of thinking… because people who thought that way had children who were healthy and survived, and who, in turn, grew up to pass that line of thinking to their own children, and so on.

Cautiously, Ino looked into Sasuke's eyes. He returned her look with his own sumg glare… as if he were sure of her answer already. Well, why not? What was she holding out for? Her prince on a white horse? Wasn't this prince just an ideation of this "rich and powerful" man every woman wanted? It was just evolutionary psychology coming into play again. Sasuke was certainly powerful. Rich? Well, the Uchiha clan had left everything to him… Their land… insane amounts of money. What else might hold her back? Gaara? The kagekaze? Her actualized prince? Men like that didn't marry girls like herself. They married princesses, and other political figures… women like the princess she pretended to be. Men like that probably didn't even have a choice in who they wanted for a mate. It was all determined through the will of political alliances and such.

What Sasuke was asking of her…. What he was offering her… It was all very logical. It was to both of their benefit… so while it was ridiculous to ask for her hand… it would be ridiculous not to accept. Why was she hesitating? What was missing? Love?

What a stupid concept…. Love… The freedom to marry for love was a recent phenomenon. It use to be all about the family alliances…. As this marriage would be about… and it would probably work. Despite her not liking Sasuke very much… Despite his dramatic personality… his selfish pursuit of his own goals… Sasuke was a very honourable man. He would look after his family… He would sacrifice himself for them… He would never take another lover behind her back…

So, beyond all common sense… Ino chose rationality. She would accept.

"Sure" Ino forced a smile that never quite reached her eyes. "Why not. Let's get married."

Sasuke looked at her a little wide-eyed… almost as if he were surprised. He parted his lips as if to say something, and then seemed to change his mind. After all the smug certainty, it seemed like he still expected her to reject his offer. He smirked again… eyes twinking.

"Good." With that, he got up and started walking back to the village.


	11. Chapter 11

Author's note: Once again, sorry for the long delay. This chapter was hard to write for some reason. I've lost count of how many times I brought up the document only to stare at it, write a few sentences, and give up.

Anyway, thanks for not giving up on me. As usual, if you guys find any mistakes in grammar or anything, please let me know.

Disclaimer: Nothing is mine.

Chapter 11

The ray of light shining through his blinds was currently focused on his coffee mug, which meant that it was exactly 4:45 in the afternoon. It had shifted two inches since the last time he looked at. He heard shuffling outside of his office, and the predictable click of his secretary's heels, slightly muffled by her attempt at discretion while trying to sneak home 15 minutes early.

Everyday was exactly the same…. Everyday since HER was exactly the same.

As soon as Gaara returned to Suna, he resumed all of his usual duties. Every morning, he would come into his office, sign contracts, read requests, and assign mission. For the past few years, Suna had enjoyed peace. As great as that was, being a sign that the Kazekage was good at his job, it also made his life very boring. The most intensive conflicts these days involved things like feuding siblings fighting over the land of their recently deceased predecessors or people refusing to pay their contractors for their home remodelling services because they performed a less than adequate job. Crime was not an issue because people still afraid him and the possibility of life-threatening consequences they deemed him completely possible of invoking due to his past.

Of course, things weren't any different from life before Silver Village. Now that he had something to compare it to… now that he had known what it was like to have someone around who was fun, witty, and most importantly wasn't afraid to speak their mind to him, his old life just didn't seem sufficient.

Gaara looked toward the neat pile of mail on the inbox of his desk… mail that he'd looked at but haven't dealt with yet. Embedded in the pile was an invitation from Konoha's Hokage to go over some peace keeping issues on the east coast. There was no urgency in the matter… but perhaps it wouldn't be a bad time to visit Konoha.

--

Word about her engagement traveled fast. Within no time, strangers on the street were offering their congratulations…. Teenaged girls were giving her death glares. Sakura was outwardly happy for her. However, Ino could see defeat in her friend's eyes… whether it was because Sakura felt that she had lost in their ongoing rivalry, or if Sakura was still truly in love Sasuke.

All in all, the whole experience was pretty depressing. Her friends and family… those that truly cared for her… were ecstatic for her. She was sure they felt that because she had once been infatuated with her current betrothed, she must be marrying for love… a luxury that had supposedly been taken away from her when she agreed to go to Silver Village. _Ironic how things turned out…_

--

_She's engaged?_

Gaara felt numb. He felt the blood in his body drain from his face and pool at his feet. He wasn't sure why the news of her engagement made him feel that way. It wasn't as if they were romantically involved, and it wasn't as if they had ever intended on anything of the sort.

The first thing Gaara had done in Konoha after reporting to the Hokage was to seek out his old friend, Naruto. Naruto… the boy who single handedly helped him regain his heart back in the chuunin exams had ironically just rammed a shard of ice though it.

Completely ignorant to what he had just done, Naruto continued to ramble on about the upcoming nuptials. At this point, Gaara completely stopped listening…. Only catching a few key phrases that served to drive the shard a little deeper…

_Crazy…_

… _the most unexpected thing…_

_Childhood crush…_

… _in love with him for years…_

_Everyone… happy for her…_

…

"Hey, Gaara? Are you in there?"

The deadened Gaara looked up to meet blue eyes… slightly shocked that they were a different blue from the 'reflection of the sky off a clear lake' blue that were Ino Yamanaka's eyes. Naruto's confused glare brought him back to the present situation.

"Gaara?"

Realizing that he hadn't said anything in at least 10 minutes, Gaara started to say something, but choked on his now dry throat. Cough for a few seconds, Gaara gratefully gulped down some tea, and tried to clear his throat.

"Sorry…" _cough_ cough… "I… umm… I guess I'm still tired from the trip…"

"Tired...? Naruto stared at him blankly for a few more minutes, then burst out laughing. "The Kazekage of Sand… Tired from a short three day trip. Man, you ARE getting old! HAHAHA…"

Despite Gaara's gratitude for his friend… he DID find him annoying sometimes.

"OH MAN! I'm late for a date with Hinata!"

With that, Naruto jumped out of his seat and ran out the door… leaving, of course, the bill for Gaara to cover.

_Yes… quite annoying…_

--

Ino had just locked up the flower shop and started on her walk home. Walking home was one of her favourite things to do. Ino loved the cool air and walking under the starry night sky. The path generally led through a secluded and dimly lit path over the small bridge that crossed the river. A short distance away, across the river, a bright glow and the faint chatter of voices indicated the presence of the night market. It was one of the few instances where Ino could hear and acknowledge the presence of others without being bombarded with their mental voices.

Ino decided to spend a few minutes on her little bridge in solitude, and was surprised to see a familiar head of red hair on her usual spot. She was even more surprised at her inability to detect him telepathically before seeing him. Getting over her initial reaction, Ino remembered that she was never able to hear him unless she took the effort to look into his mind.

Unexpectedly, Ino felt a bubble of bitter sweetness rise up her chest, as a stream of questions flew through her mind. _Why is he here? For me? Surely not… he IS an important diplomant… he must be here on business…But maybe? _

_Sasuke…. Shit._

Ino's heart fell at the thought of her engagement… but the thought did little to alleviate the bittersweet clenching behind her throat.

"Kaze… Gaara-sama!"

Without thinking, Ino leaped up and wrapped her arms around Gaara's neck, squeezing a little too hard. Slowly, and awkwardly, Gaara brought one arm around her waist, then placed his other arm around her shoulders in a light embrace.


End file.
